Non-technical founders:
how to kickstart development on your product in 3 weeks
and learn how to avoid losing $100K to shady partners in the process.
25+ products built & launched.
Supported $650M+ in fundraising from top VCs
Blueverse
Mason, Alec, Taylor & Drew
Closed a 6-figure seed round with roadmap built using this process.
“We’ve had ideas flowing for so many months—now that we finally get to put them on paper it feels good.”
Mason
“I’m on FIRE”
Taylor
“Working with you was perfect because you had that outside of the box thinking and you could better organize the thoughts we had. Something that we would discuss for hours—for days, in less than 2 weeks we were able to reach that level of detail with you guys.”
Shirley
Heyway
Shirley Vega
& Tyler Rasch
Reduced their expected development costs by 50% using this process.
Loper
Eric Menna
& Sam Bernstein
Signed their first customer contract during development using this process.
“We’ve got more done in the last 4 hours than Sam and I have achieved in the past couple of weeks”
Eric
“I wish we did something like this a couple of months ago.”
Sam
Ready to get started?
Are you a founder of a technical startup, but you don’t have the skills to build it yourself?
Building a startup as a
non-technical founder is like
playing on hard mode.
You’ve got no shortage of Vision. But you can’t build that Vision yourself. Getting it built means entering
into the world of Nerds.
As someone who doesn’t speak the language of Tech, interfacing with that world can be
exhausting. You can spend hours digesting the jargon, the buzzwords, the endless list of frameworks,
platforms, and providers. But that’s time you could spend doing what matters most to any founder:
Growing your Business.
If you’re going to succeed as a non-technical founder, you need a process for navigating the world of Nerds.
A process for taking your vision and translating it into something that designers and developers can execute.
A process that helps you lean into your strengths as a non-technical founder, letting you focus on your business while the Nerds stack bricks
This page is all about that PROCESS
Here, you’ll learn step-by-step how our 25+ clients got their ideas out of their heads, into development, and published on the web and app stores.
You’ll learn how you can handle this process yourself, and what sorts of technical partners you’ll need when it comes time to execute.
You’ll learn how to avoid some of the errors that have costed other non-technical founders $100K+, and see examples of successful folks coming from backgrounds like yours.
OKAY,
BUT WHO ARE WE?
I’m James Knight
Founder and Chief Nerd of No Nerds No Problem.
I’ve earned my Nerd stripes: I have an undergraduate degree in Mathematics, studied for my Masters in Computer Science at Georgia Tech, and started my career in robotics at Romotive (now Zipline).
Since leaving Google in 2015 and starting my startup consulting agency, I’ve grown this company to 10+ nerds across 4 different countries, been featured in Bloomberg, and have helped more than 25 companies launch their MVPs and raise a combined $650M in fundraising.
And I’m going to show you how to do the same.
Ready to get started?
going from
vision -> product
is about answering the
Five Questions
who
is our customer?
why
will they care?
what
are we bulding?
how
are we bulding it?
when
will it be done?
we’re going to answer those questions in 3 separate phases:
1.
Define your Spec Offer → Answering Who & Why.
Old Way Define your Spec
- Start w/ Idea
- Research the marketplace.
- Talk to potential customers.
- Use feedback to refine concept.
- Build a “spec”.
Old Results
- Cargo Culting
- Fake feedback
- Design by committee.
- Product defined by “features”
35% of funded startups fail because of “No Market Need”.
Quibi
$1.7B spent building content & product.
Shut down 8 months after launch.
Define your offer, validate WHO your customer is and WHY they want your product, then scope your product to deliver the value in that offer.
New Way Define your Offer
- Lean Startup MVP - the minimal amount of work required to SELL.
- Storymapping - what story is your offer telling?
- Build sales materials (prototype, proof of concept, landing page, etc.)
- Take that offer to real customers.
- Sell and get real feedback.
New Results
- We only build what we’ve validated
- Real feedback—money talks
- Problems defined by the customer, solutions designed by you.
- Product defined by Customer Outcome, not a list of features.
Examples
Loper Concierge Prototype
- Initial customer feedback and seed funding off a “concierge prototype.
52Fables Landing Page
- 1-hour landing page, $100 in ads, 30 sign-ups in 24 hours.
Kickstarter
- $6.5B in offers.
Ready to define your offer?
2.
Describe w/ Design Story → Answering What.
Old Way Describe w/ Design
- Take a “spec” to designers.
- Compare spec to “benchmark” competitors.
- Designers deliver something “sexy”.
- Final designs are taken to developers.
Old Results
- Old Results
- Incomplete designs
- Designs are made impractical or impossible to develop
- Product is poorly defined.
The average software project has a 66% cost overrun and a 33% schedule overrun.
Self-Portrait Project
3 years spent in design with nothing to show.
See how we turned it around
Describe your product w/ story first, then wireframes, leaving style for the very end.
New Way Describe w/ Story
- Storymapping - What story is your product telling?
- Focus on product not design, wireframes first.
- Include technical input in the revision process.
- Style comes last.
New Results
- Function over Form
- Our product is complete
- Designs are possible and practical to develop
Examples
Heyway
- ~$100K estimate reduced to $53K
- Product delivered on time, w/ no timeline or budget overrun.
Ready to describe your product?
3.
Plan via Proposals Roadmapping → Answering How & When.
Old Way Plan via Proposals
- Source technical partners.
- Have those partners put together a “proposal.”
- Compare “proposals” and select the one that looks best.
Old Results
- Proposals are worthless
- Estimates are based on what the proposer thinks you can afford
- Timelines are organized around what’s easiest not what’s critical.
38% of funded startups fail because they “ran out of cash”.
Knowhere
Development team built 80% of product but couldn’t complete the final 20%.
$100K+ spent on a product that didn’t work.
See how we turned it around
Plan development through collaborative roadmapping, avoiding worthless proposals and building an accurate timeline and estimate for your project.
New Way Plan w/ Roadmapping
- Storymapping - What story are your features telling?
- Involve technical partners and have them architect.
- Plan our project around the parts that are business critical or most challenging.
- Plan releases around business milestones
New Results
- Proposals are valuable
- Timelines are accurate
- Roadmaps align with business needs
- We get a chance to vet our technical partner(s)
Examples
Blueverse
- Closed a 6-figure seed round using this design prototype.
- Went into development immediately after round closed.
Ready to roadmap towards launch?
going from
vision -> product
the right way
Lean into what makes you a founder—your vision—and let your business define your product and not the other way around.
1.
Define your OFFER, not a SPEC
Validate WHO your customer is and WHY they want your product with a testable offer, not a list of features nobody cares about.
2.
Describe with STORY, not DESIGN
Start with storymapping & wireframes to build complete products, not sexy but impossible designs.
3.
Plan with ROADMAPPING, not PROPOSALS
Collaborate with partners to develop accurate timelines and estimates, not worthless proposals.
OKAY,
BUT HOW?
Option 1
Manage it yourself
Option 2
Find a technical cofounder
Option 3
Work with existing companies
Option 4
Work with us
NO NERDS NO PROBLEM
helps non-technical founders
manage their tech so you can
focus on growth.*
Obsessed with helping non-technical founders building early-stage startups.
With 30+ products launched, we work exclusively with brilliant non-technical founders who just need help managing the tech side of their startup.
Dedicated technical partner from validating your offer through to IPO.
We act as your “cofounder-for-hire,” with our leadership present at all times.
International, in-house team balances cost and quality.
We’re not an agency—all of our designers & developers are in-house working from the same virtual “office”.
WHO
DO WE WORK WITH?
For founders who have an idea but aren’t sure how to get started.
Define -> Design -> Plan -> Develop
Blueverse
Mason, Alec, Taylor & Drew
Closed 6-figure seed round with our roadmap.
Before
- “Product” consisted of 2-page Word document.
- Enormous vision.
- No experience, no funding.
After
- Full sales prototype after 1 week.
- Full product design after 3 weeks.
- Closed a 6-figure seed round off of Roadmap alone.
Blueverse
Mason, Alec, Taylor & Drew
“I’m on FIRE.”
Taylor
We’ve had ideas flowing for so many months—now that we finally get to put them on paper it feels good.
Mason
Heyway
Shirley Vega & Tyler Rasch
Reduced their expected development costs by 50% using this process.
Before
- Idea for a product coming from their existing consulting practice.
- No experience with product development or startups.
- Initial quotes from other agencies $90-100K.
After
- Organized entire existing supply process into a customer map.
- Identified where in that map our product fit.
- Final quote ~50% of other partners.
Heyway
Shirley Vega & Tyler Rasch
Working with you was perfect because you had that outside of the box thinking and you could better organize the thoughts we had. Something that we would discuss for hours—for days, in less than 2 weeks we were able to reach that level of detail with you guys.
Shirley
For founders who have validated their offer, but need help with design &
development.
Define -> Design -> Plan -> Develop
Loper
Eric Menna & Sam Bernstein
Signed their first customer contract during development using this process.
Before
- Existing concierge prototype.
- Large scale vision but having trouble converting that into a plan.
- Planning on using another firm for development but interested in Product & Design.
After
- Full design and roadmap developed in just 2 weeks.
- Started development with us on Monday.
- Closed initial deal during development using ongoing deliveries.
Loper
Eric Menna & Sam Bernstein
We’ve got more done in the last 4 hours than Sam and I have achieved in the past couple of weeks.
Eric
I wish we did something like this a couple of months ago.
Sam
For founders who already have existing designs, but need help with
development.
Define -> Design -> Plan -> Develop
A Rad Corp
Matt Ivester
Founder & CEO, A Rad Corp
Rapid prototyping & launch of 2 apps in just 4 weeks.
Before
- Core product struggling to find traction.
- Wanted to rapidly prototype and test two new ideas.
After
- #FIREFIRE built and launched, hitting front page of Product Hunt.
- Hotshot Screen Recorder built and launched.
A Rad Corp
Matt Ivester
Founder & CEO, A Rad Corp
James understands what it means to work with a startup where every dollar counts.
Thanks to him, we were able to bring our products to market much faster than we could have ourselves.
Matt
For founders with existing development work on their product, looking
for help bringing it to the finish line.
Define -> Design Review -> (Re)Plan -> Develop
Knowhere
Lachie Given
Founder - Knowhere
Turning around 6 months of wasted develolpment time in 2 Weeks.
Before
- 6 months and $100K spent with another development firm.
- Core feature (location sharing) DID NOT WORK.
- App drained a full user battery in hours.
After
- App launched to App Store - Currently 5 stars.
- Location sharing fixed.
- Battery issue resolved.
Knowhere
Lachie Given
Founder - Knowhere
After an entire year of working with another firm, our app just did not work—the core feature was broken and the app drained the battery.
James was able to research the problem and find a workable solution in a matter of weeks.
Lachie
Self Portrait Project
Andy Lin
Founder - The Self Portrait Project
From 3 years of no progress to hardware prototype in just 1 week.
Before
- Three years spent with existing design agency and not a single line of code written.
- Existing designs were incomplete—if built, the app wouldn't function.
- App involved hardware product and needed a prototype for investor demos.
After
- App launched to App Store - Currently 4.8 stars.
- Hardware prototype delivered in two weeks.
- Over 850K photographs captured to date.
Self Portrait Project
Andy Lin
Founder - The Self Portrait Project
After three years of other agencies promising a lot but delivering little, getting to test a prototype after just one week was very cool.
From the first time we sat down, I really felt James & team got what I was trying to do.
Andy
For founders with products already in the marketplace, looking for help
taking them to the next level.
(Re)Define -> (Re)Design -> (Re)Plan -> Develop
Wellness 4 Humanity
Lian Pham
Founder - Wellness 4 Humanity
COVID test vending machines launched in 12 weeks
Before
- Upcoming deadlines w/ partners but stalled progress.
- Overseas developers unable to deliver on promises.
- Clinics suffering from growing pains.
After
- COVID vending machines launched at international airports.
- Clinic management system released, reducing workload.
- Booking system launched, improving checkout speed.
Wellness 4 Humanity
Lian Pham
Founder - Wellness 4 Humanity
James and his team stepped in at a critical moment in Wellness 4 Humanity's trajectory and delivered exactly what we needed to hit our deadlines and expand the public's access to quick and easy COVID testing.
Without them, the launches of our national vending machine network and our flagship New York clinic would not have been the successes they were.
Lian
For founders who don’t want to waste their time & money building
something that isn’t going to work.
Define -> Design -> Plan -> Develop
Replenish
Sachin Gulaya
CEO - Alpine Vapors
Customer-ready prototype and full Project Roadmap in 2 Weeks.
Before
- Had idea for startup inspired by his experience as a cannabis CEO.
- Spent months researching possible solutions but couldn't get started.
- Received quote from other partners but found it "wildly expensive".
After
- Prototype tested with actual customers.
- Quote reduced by ~50%, scope increased, timeline shortened ~1 month.
- Feedback demonstrated project was more challenging that originally thought.
Replenish
Sachin Gulaya
CEO - Alpine Vapors
Going back to the overall process, I am really enjoying it and think that it’s 100% worth the cost. I’ve learned a ton so far and really appreciate the depth. Now that we’re in it I can’t imagine how it could’ve gone any other way.
Sachin
Ready to get started?
What’s going to happen
during this process?
Sell first, build after
You’re going to go from idea to sellable offer in just one week. That’s everything you need to start selling customers, or even raise seed capital.
Story first, design next
We’re going to take that offer and turn it into a high-level Product Story and fully clickable wireframe prototype one week later. That includes every little feature we need to develop to get you to launch.
Roadmap, don’t request proposals
We’re going to wrap that clickable prototype in a sexy design, have our development team research what it’s going to take to make it work, and build a full development roadmap, complete with an exact timeline and a guaranteed cost estimate.
What does this process
look like?
week 1.
Define your Offer ->
On Your Own
Research Your Idea
Show it off to friends and family.
Build a list of features and hope for the best.
With No Nerds
2 day intensive workshop.
Build your “Offer” Story, describing how your customers will encounter and acquire your product.
A landing page to generate interest.
A sales prototype that demos that offer.
3-5 real customer interviews.
Examples
1-Week Offer Workshop
Interviews & HMWs
Long Term Goals & Sprint Questions
The Map
The Storyboard
The Prototype
week 2.
Describe your product ->
On Your Own
Take list of features to designers.
Define features based on “benchmark” competitors.
Create a sexy design and hope your devs can build it.
With No Nerds
1-2 day intensive workshop.
“Product” Story, describing how your customers will onboard and receive value from your product.
“Wireflows” laying out all the paths your customers can take.
A clickable wireframe prototype, reviewed by our tech team for feasibility.
Examples
The Map Strikes Back
The Flows
The Frames
The Wireframe Prototype
week 3.
Plan your launch ->
On Your Own
Developers review spec & designs, come up with ballpark timeline.
Devs plan the project around what’s easiest to deliver first.
Devs deliver an “estimate” with no guarantee.
With No Nerds
1-2 days of intensive sessions.
Full product backlog, including every “Use Story” involved in your product.
Full design for getting your product to launch.
Technical analysis document.
Week-by-week timeline.
Guaranteed cost quote.
Examples
The Designs
The Research
The Timeline
The Estimate
The Roadmap
Week 1 Offer
- 2-day intensive workshop
- “Offer” Storymap
- Landing page
- Sales Prototype
Value: $20K
Cost: $6K *
Week 2 Offer
- 1-day intensive workshop
- “Product” Storymap
- Wireflows
- Clickable Wireframe Prototype
Value: $16K
Cost: $6K *
Week 3 Roadmap
- 1-day intensive workshop
- Full Product Backlog & Design
- Tech report
- Timeline & Guaranteed Quote
Value: $10K